1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to a method, and machine for making artificial snow and more particularly to an improved method and machine for making large quantities of high quality, granular snow. The present snow making machine is further able to throw the snow a substantial distance from the machine in a wide area coverage pattern, but without creating unacceptable decibel sound levels. 2. Prior Art
The increasing popularity of winter skiing activities and the like, and the unpredictability of seasonal weather conditions has provided ample impetus for constructing snow making machines that produce large quantities of artificial snow. Snow making machines make it possible for ski slope operators to augment the naturally occurring snow fall thereby extending the skiing season both in the fall and during the spring months. However, one of the problems inherent in many of these prior art snow making machines is that they do not provide uniform spacing and distribution of ice crystal nuclei in the air flow through the machine. This decreases the efficiency or volume output of the snow making process. Representative of this type of prior art snow making machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,636 to Dilworth et al., which describes an apparatus having a pair of seeder nozzles disposed at a 90 degree included angle in a horizontal plane proximate the discharge outlet of the apparatus. The two seeder nozzles thereby generate a relatively flat fan of nucleated ice crystals horizontally across a generated air stream with the nucleated particles contacting a bulk cold water shower produced by two groups of water nozzles, one positioned above and one positioned below the fan of ice crystals. The problem is that these seeder nozzles provide an inadequate discharge pattern above and below the horizontal plane and the generated ice crystals are incapable of completely commingling with the bulk water shower droplets. This incomplete commingling compromises the cooling process of the bulk water droplets and results in incomplete formation of ice granules.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,836 to Eager describes a snow making apparatus having a conical shaped collar leading to the discharge outlet. The intended purpose of this collar is to increase the turbulence and therefore the cooling capacity of the emitted air stream. The problem is that generating high volumes of air flow represents a significant portion of the cost of making artificial snow. Creating turbulence in the air stream, therefore, results in decreased velocity at the discharge outlet which compromises the bulk water travel time through the ambient atmosphere and the throw distance of the resulting ice crystals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,598 to Kosik, Sr. et al. discloses water nozzles arranged in four groups spaced annularly around the circumference of the discharge outlet. However, these nozzles are oriented in such a manner that the nucleated ice crystals initially contact the water shower at least ten feet from the nucleator mounted at the discharge outlet. This configuration compromises the commingling between ice crystals and the bulk water shower droplets with a concomitant reduction in the quality of the formed ice crystals.